We're going to start this morning by visiting two swing states seen as crucial to each presidential candidate: one is Florida, the other Colorado, where President Obama this week sampled Mexican food in Pueblo, courted women voters in Denver, and dropped by the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Our coverage starts with NPR's Scott Horsley.

SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: Presidential politics is having to compete for air time this summer with the Olympics. And sometimes, it seems like even the candidates would rather be watching the games.

(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: For those of you who are curious, the women are doing pretty good right now in soccer...

HORSLEY: President Obama's campaign rally yesterday coincided with the gold medal women's soccer match between the U.S. and Japan. Mr. Obama tried to provide an update for the sports-hungry political junkies who gathered in the outdoor park.

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OBAMA: The game's not over, and some of you may have DVR'd it, so I'm not going to say any more. But we're making progress.

HORSLEY: Republican Mitt Romney, of course, has his own ties to the games. His leadership of the Salt Lake City Olympics was the launch pad for his political career. And this summer, his wife's horse competed in the dressage event.

Beyond their common Olympic enthusiasm, though, the two men have plenty of differences. Romney's taken a tough stance against illegal immigration, while Mr. Obama decided to stop deporting the so-called DREAM Act kids, who were brought to the U.S. as children.

The president ordered free insurance coverage for birth control, while Romney wants to eliminate the government's family planning efforts. And while Romney would allow a tax credit for wind energy producers to expire, Mr. Obama wants to extend it, saying that credit helps to support some 5,000 Colorado jobs.

(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)

OBAMA: Government can't solve all your problems. Government can't help folks who won't help themselves, but there are things we can do to make sure that everybody's got a chance, everybody's got opportunity.

HORSLEY: Later, during a visit to Colorado's Olympic Training Center, Mr. Obama saluted the women's soccer team for winning their match against Japan and the gold medal. This year, Colorado voters will help to decide which candidate wins political gold.